Collection

Members of the College community as well as campus visitors will notice a colorful, symbolic artwork affixed to the Science Center—a mural stretching the length of the two-story southeast wall, adjacent to the DuPont parking lot.
David “Dee” Craig, a muralist from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who has created many pieces depicting the changing nature of the [...]

One afternoon in November, Stuart Hain, vice president for facilities and services, described the construction work underway in the old squash courts facility as “unbuilding.” Instead of simply demolishing the outdated facility to make way for the new Matchbox center for wellness, fitness, and theater, a crew has been carefully disassembling the building this fall. [...]

By January 1864, the founders of our College had raised money, settled on a name for the new school (Swarthmore College), found a location (Westdale), and appointed a committee to secure a charter from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
They were certain the college would be coeducational. There was never any doubt that men and women would [...]

“Well, I’ll be!” Rolf Valtin ’48 proclaimed as he opened his front door to welcome a small contingent from the Swarthmore College Department of Athletics. The purpose of a fall visit to Valtin’s home in Alexandria, Va., was to present him with a plaque honoring his induction into the Garnet Athletics Hall of Fame (due [...]

Was it in the Crum Woods, on the Whispering Bench, or in Parrish Parlors? Love has blossomed in every corner of Swarthmore’s breathtaking campus. If you are among the 1,300 matchbox couples who have met, courted, fallen in love, and remained together, write us! Tell us about your romance in 350 words or fewer, and [...]

When President Rebecca Chopp collaborated with Daniel Weiss, president of Haverford College, in April 2012 to stage the conference The Future of the Liberal Arts College in America and Its Leadership Role in Education Around the World, their expectations for attendance were somewhat modest. The friends and colleagues were mildly (and pleasantly) surprised when more [...]

For three days in late October, 500 national student delegates from more than 150 countries assembled at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris for the 8th UNESCO Youth Forum. The carefully selected group spent three days brainstorming on the theme Youth and Social Inclusion: Civic Engagement, Dialogue and Skills Development. Duong Tran ’15, a native of [...]

At the dawn of its sesquicentennial celebration, the College will mail a special gift to all Swarthmore alumni, friends, and parents of current students: the book Swarthmore College: A Community of Purpose. This 200-page resource includes numerous faculty and alumni profiles, historic pictures of the College and its founders, and many new photos revealing the [...]